Facebook has rapidly evolved from its humble beginnings as an insular college community. Growing up – no longer jut a haven for college students, high school students or old parents desperately trying to fit in with the latest fad or online buzzword.
A recent study by Comscore would lead us to believe that the 25-34 and 35+ age groups are in fact the largest growing demographics with growth of 181% and 98 % respectively. So what does this mean for you and more importantly what does this mean for your business?
The power of Facebook lies in that it is a decentralized social location for open communication. I have personally have found that with our customers we have experienced a much more frequent and rewarding interaction with our clients, that is discouraged by the increasingly formal etiquette of email in the workplace.
I have found that my network of Facebook friends is an amalgamation of my disparate myspace and LinkedIn networks. Your typical network of Facebook friends typically would consist of old friends, college friends and acquaintances, coworkers, past clients, business partners, or even… your boss. Of course you, determine who you allow in your network and you can adjust your privacy settings accordingly. However if you are a natural networker and a generally likeable person - it can be a very dynamic communication tool for expanding and capitalizing on your network. Facebook is a great facilitator in breaking down the boundaries between social and business circles.
So I bet you are asking yourself how this liberal encroachment of your privacy might help you. I have personally found that Facebook brought me in contact with business contacts that I have met over the years. I have found partners to collaborate on my current projects, effectively pulling together the power of my network. If you are sourcing start up capital, looking for a graphic artist or potential clients, a little digging through your network and you pull together a team to push your business forward.
Or even consider the possibilities of doing some snooping on a client prior to a meeting. By browsing a person Facebook profile you can get an idea of who this potential client is and how your business can help them, as well as breaking the ice. Casual browsing of a person’s profile will reveal mutual contacts, interests, hobbies, political affiliation, where they vaction, magazines or books they read and even where they like to spend their Friday nights.
Imagine being able to contact the CEO of your ideal client with a polite, personal message and with the salesperson’s best weapon, knowledge of the customer. The possibilities are there.
Next week I will be evaluating the advertising Facebook is offering and how it might fit in with your marketing strategy.
Facebook - What can it do for your business? - To learn more about this author, visit Daniel Patricio's Website.
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Daniel Patricio
(Visit Daniel's Website)
DANIEL PATRICIO is the event marketing
specialist for BizLaunch.ca, Canada’s
leading small business training company.
It works with startups less than five
years old, which includes people who are
thinking about starting a business,
preparing to launch or currently running
one. Founded by experienced entrepreneurs
wishing to give back some knowledge, the
company trains, advises and guides new
entrepreneurs through products such as its
12-hour Up & Running BizLaunch Program,
Staples BizLaunch Seminars, Bell BizLaunch
Seminars and one-to-one BizCoaching
System. BizLaunch has trained over 10,000
new entrepreneurs worldwide.
BizLaunch has used Facebook as a means to
intimately interact with their customers,
nurture positive long term client
relations and maximize the effectiveness
of their network.
The BizLaunch Facebook Group can be found
at:
www.facebook.com/
group.php?gid=2381887392&ref=share
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